Thomas Frontini (b. 1967, Canada) combines surrealist techniques of painting detailed foreground images with atmospheric backgrounds. The dreamlike imagery balances contemporary objects with historical scenes. His paintings explore magic in the mundane and draw from the transformative power of the subconscious.

Frontini’s palette and technique are directly influenced by his Italian heritage and interest in Italian art history. With his incorporation of historical research into the modern day, he creates a dialogue across time, from the past, present and future. His reference material is sourced from current topical issues that humans face, using metaphors to portray an intangible potential of the future. Immense landscapes stretch out around intricately painted flora and fauna. Thickly painted cliff faces and clouds are dotted with tiny details of futuristic habitats. Expressive abstract orbs are enwrapped in a volume of light and distance. In a carefully measured vagueness, Frontini’s paintings address not only the seen world, but a world of puzzling fantasies.

Frontini received a BFA at the Cleveland Institute of Art and an MFA from Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA. He has exhibited throughout Canada, the United States, London, China, Turkey, including a solo show in Venice, Italy, combined with the launch of his monograph. Frontini is a part of various collections both private and public including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, in Seoul, Korea, and the Cleveland Clinic Collection, in Cleveland, Ohio. Born and raised in Canada, Frontini currently lives and works in Cleveland, Ohio.